Wondering where I get my iron? I get it from food! To be more specific, I’m talking about beans, lentils, potatoes, tofu, molasses, potatoes (oh did I say that already?), quinoa, tahini, nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies, etc.

Yet my favorite source by far is chocolate! The Trader Joe’s dark chocolate bars contain 35% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) in a single serving. Overachievers! Eating one of those chocolate bars a day provides me 1/3 of what I need. I will neither confirm nor deny that I sometimes eat two bars a day… leaving just 30% to find in all the other sources, which is cake. Incidentally, cake also contains iron (it’s in flour, baking powder, etc.). Note: I’m not encouraging anyone to eat two chocolate bars a day. They are high in sugar, so that would be terrible advice.

Your body absorbs iron better when it’s eaten with vitamin C. I love eating chocolate with red wine. I like to believe wine contains vitamin C (okay, you’re right… it doesn’t, but it does contain iron). Good thing strawberries, which are full of vitamin C, are also a perfect complement to chocolate!

Perhaps I’m focusing too much on chocolate (I can’t help it). Here are a few other combinations of iron and vitamin C that you might want to try:

This recipe creates a side dish that could be called herbalicious. Diced red potatoes and kohlrabi take center stage together and are complemented by crimini mushrooms. It throws together really quickly and bakes while you work on your main dish.

This is a very basic recipe that I like to think of as a template for quick and easy meal nights. Recipes are great, but some nights you may not be in the mood to follow a recipe. Consider making a dish similar to this when you want to throw a quick, nutritious meal together.

Simply pick a grain, a legume, and an assortment of veggies. Add your favorite herbs and spices. Feel free to add tofu, seitan, or tempeh if you want (but there’s no need). There are a wide variety of grains and legumes out there – not to mention veggies, so recipe-less nights won’t get boring. I learn about new (to me) foods all the time.

This stir-fry recipe doesn’t include oil, which cuts down on fat and calories. Water is used in place of oil to sauté the veggies. To see tips on using water instead of oil, see the notes section below the recipe.

This recipe is not your grandma’s tuna casserole. In fact, we got rid of the tuna and the noodles. In place of tuna, you’ll find garbanzo beans. In place of noodles, you’ll find zucchini. The garbanzo beans lend a tuna flavor and the zucchini is made into pasta-like strings, making this dish resemble a tuna casserole, with a healthy twist.

I love avocados. I love hummus. I just had to throw the two together. The result was a smoother hummus texture with a hint of an avocado flavor. It was a fun way to use up extra avocado (is that a thing?) while giving hummus a nutritional boost. As if hummus weren’t nutritional enough on its own!

Quinoa takes center stage in this sloppy joe recipe. It doesn’t take much effort to come up with a vegan sloppy joe recipe. There are plenty of beefless crumble options on the store shelves, after all. You owe it to yourself to ignore those options and use quinoa. I mean… sloppy joes you don’t have to feel guilty about? Yes, please!

This is my favorite tofu recipe to date. My husband (not a big tofu fan) said this tasted like chicken. In this recipe, you’ll combine agave nectar (the vegan honey) and Dijon mustard to create a tasty dipping sauce.

Serve this at a party or as an after-school snack. Stick a toothpick in each piece of tofu to make it easy and fun to eat.

Kale, Cabbage, and cannellini beans come together in this hearty soup recipe, which is topped with avocado. This soup will warm you up on a cold winter night. It only takes a few minutes to throw this soup together, which means it finds its way to my dinner table frequently during the winter.

Tofu is a popular meat substitute for vegetarians and vegans. Not only does tofu’s texture make a great substitute for meat, but it is also a good source of certain nutrients. A half cup of tofu contains 10 grams of protein, 25% of the daily value of calcium, and 11% of iron. Tofu absorbs other flavors very well (this is a good thing).

Black rice We all know brown rice is healthier than white rice. Until recently, those were the only rice options I considered. Black rice is a less popular rice that I have only recently discovered. Black rice is a great option that is very nutritious and high in...

Though I only eat it occasionally, I’m a French toast lover. Quite naturally I didn’t waste any time after transitioning to a vegan lifestyle to figure out how to make a vegan version. It was easy to do and quite enjoyable to eat.

Let me start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year! I also wish you good luck with any resolutions you may have made. I haven’t made any new year’s resolutions because I’m too impatient to wait for a new year. When I resolve to do something, I want...